Machine for forming plastic tile



Decn 1l, 1928. l I 1,694,579

` H. BROCK MACHINE FOR FORMING PLASTIC TILE original Filed Feb.18, 1926s sheets-sneu 1 Dm 11, 192s.

H. BROCK MACHINE FOR FORMNG'PLASTIC TILE Original Filed Feb. 18, 1926 5Sheets-Sheet 2' Dec. 1l, 1928.

H. BRCCK MACHINE FOR FORMING PLASTIC TILE Original Filed Feb. 18, 1926 3Sheets-Sheet Cil Patented Dec. 1l, 1928.

UNTE STATES 41,694,579 PATENT o FFIcE.

nonnen Bacon,

or si'. Louis, Missionar, Assislvon or ONE-'HALF ro JAMES B noox,

F ST. LOUES, MISSOURI.

MACHINE FOR FORMING PLASTIC TILE.

Substitute for application Serial No. 89,013, 1927.

My present invention relates to improvements and refinements ofmachines, for forming tile from plastic material, automatically andcontinuously, and more particularly to such machines as shown anddescribed in Letters Patent of the United States, granted to me, HoldenBrock, May 30, 1922, numbered 1,418,227..

My primary obj eet is to provide a machine, of compact design so as tooccupy a minimum of floor space, comprising a receptacle for a bed ofplastic material, such as concrete, beneath which forms, or palettes,are moved in continuous succession upon a conveyor comprising tilespacing or partition plates, which forms and plates coact with rotatablematerial packing and initial shaping blades and` a fixed trowel toshape. the lower and upper faces and both end margins of the tile whilethe sides of the receptacle shape the sidel margins of the tile. l

Another object of my invention is to provide simple, automatic means forfeeding the forms one at a time to the conveyor properly positionedthereon between said tile spacing or partition plates.

A further obj ect is to provide simple means for applying a finishcoating to the tile.

A. further object is to provide simple automatic means for perforatingthe tile fornail ing purposes. p

And a still further object isL to provide means on the conveyor forcleaning the conveyor trackways whereby the forms carried therebyaremoved in a constant pla-ne. This application is a substitute for myprior aban doned application filed Feb. 18, 1926, Serial Number 89,013.

To the above purposes my invention consists in the novel construction,arrangement and combination of parts, as: hereinafter fully, clearly,and concisely described, delinitely pointed out in my claims andillustrated by the accompanying drawings sheets) in which- Fig. 1 is aside elevation of amachine constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a rear end view of the machine.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional. elevation taken substantially on theline 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4c is front end view of the machine, with the conveyor andassociated tile forming elements omitted.

' Fig. 5 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional fried February' is, 192s.This appneanon filed october 17,

Serial No. 226,830.

elevation showing the form feeding means, and the tile shaping andfinishing means.

Fig. 6 is a detail elevation, partly in section, showing the tileperforating means, and Fig. 7 is a sectional elevation of the holder forthe perforators which furnishes a continuous liquid supply thereto, andFig. 8 is a detail plan view of the conveyor-length adjustment.

Referring by numerals to the drawings, 10 designates vertical frameelements, on which are fixed bearings 11 in which are mounted shafts 12,for the support of spiders 13 and 14, located respectively at, or near,the rear, or discharge end and front or receiving end of the machineframe. These spiders are arranged in pairs as best shown in Fig. 2 andeach comprises a plurality of uniformly circumferentially spaced dwells15 and form` the driving means for the conveyor.

The spider 14, at the front end of the machine, is an idler, while thespider 13, at the rear end of the machine, is power driven, havingconnected therewith a sprocket wheel 16, which is connected by a chain17 and sprocket wheel 18 with a shaft 19, carrying, as best shown inFig. 2, a clutch 20. A shaft 21, having a pulley 22 for connection witha source of power and a control clutch 23, is connected with shaft 19 bya reduction gear comprising gear wheels 2a and 25.

By preference vthe conveyor comprises cross-pieces 26, of rectangularsection and which have trunnions 27 at each end for the support of links28 and rollers 29. Connecting each link 28 with a cross piece 23 arerods 30. Each link 28 pivotally supports an arm 31 of a track cleaningand form supporting device 32 carrying shoes 33 which ride the track 34,which track is by preference a pair of opposed channel irons disposedlengthwise of the frame, immediately beneath the material receptacle 35which consists of up- ,able as by a sprocket gear 59 rack 39 upon whicha stack of forms, manually supplied, are supported, to be fed, one at atime, to the conveyor. rlThis feeding` means comprises an actuating rod40 ce ried in pivot blocks 4l, one Of which is fixed to the machineframe and the other of which carried on a rocker arm 42. Pivotallycarried at the forward end of the rod l() is a feed arm e3 comprising ashoulder el for engagement with the forward margins of the tile formsfor their rearward movements te-A ward the conveyor.

The rocker arm 4t2 is carried on a lulcrum 45, and carries a push bar i6for operation of the rock lever in its effective stroke, disposed in thepath of project-ions 47 carried on the forward spider ll. A contractilecoil spring i8 serves to move the rocker arm in its noneifective stroke.

For coaction with the feeding means l provide a form positioning elementin the form of a. freely rotatable retarder comprising radially disposedfingers 49, which comprehend the paths of the tile spacing plates 3G,and which are held thereby to control the drop7 of the forms, as bestshown in ig.

By the means ust described, the forms are placed on the lugs 87 andbetween each pair of the spacing plates 36 to comprise witl the spacingplates a continuous bottom for the receptacle 35 and upon which thematerial (concrete) is supplied.

ln the movement of the forms and spacing plates beneath the bed ofmaterial the bottom faces of the tile are shaped while concurrentlytherewith the ends of the tile. are de fined by the spacing plates.

For the shaping of the upper faces of the tile l employ a packercomprising a shaft upon which is detachably secured a plura of radiallydisposed blades 5l whose outer, free, margins are shaped to the desiredshape of the upper faces of the tile.

Immediately to the rear of the packer is a dam 52 which forms the rearend oi the receptacle and whose lower margin sha iPfl to conform withthe upper faces the t and which acts as a fina shaping trowel 4' thetile as packed and initially shaped the packer.

To vary the thickness of tiles the dam is vertically adjustable as bythe adjustable hangers 53, as best shown in Fig.

Supported over the train of forms as carried on the conveyor is a hopper54, for containing a nish coating for the tile such liquid cement, whichmay be colored if desired. and whose flow is controlled bj: valve 55,and which ope ates to apply a contrV nous stream of finish coating tothe shaped tile.

Immediately following the hopper final finishing` trowel 56, which likethe 52 is vertically adjustable af by ha llVithin the hopper 54 is an a,

which includes the power driven shaft 21 and the shaft 50 of the packer.

lmmediatelv following the i'inal finishing trowel 56 is a tileperforator comprising` a pivotally supported arm 60 carrying at itsforward, free end a cup 6l through whose bottom is extended one, ormore, punch holders G2 formed as tubes and which hold, by setscrews 63,the punches G4, there being a groove, such as G5, in each punch bodj-fwhere by liquid, waten may be fed to the functioning portion of thepunch bodies to prevent their sticking in the plast-ic tile. is bestshown in Fig'. 6, the arm 60 carries a fingir 6G arranged to be engagedand support tu punches out of functioning po. "tion by a latch 6?, withwhich latch is associzited a releasing mechanism comprising` a triggerG8 resident the path, of the conveyor and engageable thereby atintervals correspondingwith the length of the tile forms. The trigger isconstructed as abell crank and includes an arm 68', which carriestherecited latch (3T^ and from which arm is extended a. lifter G8 for the.rm 60. The latch eccentrically mounted to fall away from the linger o6dui a .lifting ofthe arm GO, and the latch is automatically restored toarm supportin,Q3r or latching, position by engagement of its heel 67with the trackw y Sfl when the conveyor releases the trigger 68.

rllhe spring` 69 is carried by the arm 60 and serves to cushion the dropof the perforating punches and serves with the latch to obviatevibrating of the arm 60.

Assuming the machine connected with power, a bed of prepared concrete inplastic form in the receptacle and a finish fluid in the hopper, andforms disposed in the conveyor, as best shown in Fig. 5, it will beobvious that the forms will be automatically fed and properly positionedon the conveyor, thatthe moving` forms will each receive a charge ofcement of uniform quantity and density and that the charge will beshaped and nished, automatically and continuously, with a minimum ofmanual effort.

AAmong' the advantages 0f the construction of this present invention isthat all of the elements which enter into the shaping of the tile may beremoved and replaced to the end that the machine is readily adaptable tomaking` dilferently shaped tile.

By reason of the track cleaning and form supporting elements 32, servingas form supports between the supported ends of the forms, as upon thelugs 37, relatively light weight and inexpensive forms may be employed,and in addition to this advantage the elements 32 serve to carry theforms in a straight line beyond the path of the conveyor proper as shownby dotted lines in Fig. l) whereby the forms are readily converted to asecond carrying off conveyor.

As best shown in Fig. 8 each of the rods llll 30, of the conveyor has atits one end a the conveyor to 'form abottom 'for the recepthreadedconnection with a cross-piece 26 and a nut at its other end for itssecuring,` to a link 28. This feature permits compensation for wear andaffords maintenance ot constant conveyor lengths so that, the partitionplates 36 may be nnitormly relatively spaced, at all times.

l. ln a machine of the class described the combination of a conveyor, anormally openbottomed receptacle, palettes supported by the conveyor toform a bottom tor the receptacle, a packer, a dam, a troWel, and apert'orating device. f

2. ln a machine of the class described, the combination of a conveyor, anormally openbottomed receptacle, palettes supported by the conveyor to'form a bottom for the receptacle, a packer, a dam, a trowel, aperforating device and means tor automatically feeding` the palettes tothe conveyor.

3. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a conveyor, anormally openbottomed receptacle, palettes supported by the conveyor toform a bottom 'tor the receptacle, a packer, a dam, a trowel, and aperitorating device, said conveyor having' plates 'forming partitionsbetween the forms as carried by the conveyor.

et. ln a machine oi the class described, `the combination o'ta conveyor,a normally openbottomed receptacle, palettes supported by tacle., apacker, a dam, a trowel, arperfora ing device, and means torantomaticallyoperating the perforating device, at intervalscorresponding With the palette lengths.

5. In a machine of the class described a conveyor comprising palettesupporting and spacing elements, a receptacle whose bottom is formed bypalettes carried on the conveyor, means :tor movingthe conveyor andpalettes relative to the receptacle, a packer comprising` blades, meansfor moving the blades in a direction opposed to the movements ot thepalettes and a liXed troivel.

6. ln a machine yot the class described a conveyor comprising palettesupporting and spacing,` elements, a receptacle Whose bottom is formedby palettes carried on the conveyor, means for movingtheconveyor andpalettes relative to the receptacle, a packer, compris ing` blades,means 'for moving,1 the blades in a direction opposed to the movementset the palettes'and a fixed trowel, a hopper hawing` a controllableoutlet arranged over the palettes and a finishing troivel to the rearo't the hopper.

7. ln a machine of the class described, a palette conveyor comprisingpalette spacers, and means for adjusting connected elements of theconveyor for maintaining uniform distances between said spacers.

HOLDEN BROCK.

